When fundies attack: Florida gets two "In God We Trust" license plates

Unbeknownst to most, I would guess, a few years ago then-governor Jeb! Bush shepherded a bill through the Florida legislature that made "In God We Trust" the official state motto. Now that motto has made its way to our license plates. However, unlike the odious (and unconstitutional) "Choose Life" plates, you don't have to pay extra to go all holy on your license plate. That's right -- you can have a Christian motto on your license plate for no extra charge.

But here's the part of the new In God We Trust plan that makes it different from other specialty plates.

It's the cost-free option.

The license plate can be just like any other specialty plate. That is, you plunk down the $27 fee to have an In God We Trust plate, which would be a special-design plate featuring those words in the middle. That tag will be sold after the design is approved.

But starting today, you'll also be able to get another kind of In God We Trust plate that doesn't cost you any specialty fee, because the words will replace Sunshine State or your county name on the bottom of the plate. Hey, it's the state motto.

So the next time you get a plate, you'll have a new choice to make: God or sunshine.

If you happen to be religious, choosing sunshine might be inviting a lightning strike on your way out of the motor vehicle office.

So I predict that over time, atheists eventually will become known by their Sunshine State plates, and it will be up to them to spread the good word about Florida's earthly paradise.

The "official" In God We Trust specialty license plate, which became available yesterday; the fee-free version replaces the words "Sunshine State" with "In God We Trust" at the bottom of the standard plate.

Someone help me understand this: when exactly do we cross the line into unconstitutional state sponsorship of religion? Yes, I know you still can elect to have the traditional "SUNSHINE STATE" on your plate, so it's not mandatory to put a religious message on your car. But, as when Indiana produced their "In God We Trust" plates for no additional fee, it becomes a distinction without a difference. I mean, what are the chances that you could have "In Allah We Trust" on your license plate for no charge?

Truly, Florida deserves to be the laughingstock of America. We've got those aforementioned "Choose Life" plates, plus there were proposed plates (which we may yet see someday) for overt fundamentalist Christianity and Confederate (read: racist) pride. What's next? "Fuck the N*****s" or plates celebrating Neo-Nazis?

I wish my home state weren't so batshit insane ...